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During your Denver vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Colorado History Museum
The Colorado Historical Society's permanent exhibits include "The Colorado Chronicle," an 1800-to-1949 timeline that uses biographical plaques and a remarkable collection of photographs, news clippings, and paraphernalia to illustrate Colorado's past. Dozens of dioramas portray episodes in state history, including an intricate re-creation of 19th-century Denver. There's also a life-size display on early transportation and industry.The first major new permanent exhibit at the museum in some time, "Ancient Voices," is slated to open in early 2005, a $400,000 multimedia exhibit dedicated to Colorado's native tribes and their history. It will be followed by another new exhibit, "Confluence of Cultures," which will depict the Pioneer era when it opens in 2006. The museum offers a series of lectures and statewide historical and archaeological tours. Its gift shop is also worth a visit. Allow 1 hour.
Denver Art Museum
Founded in 1893, this seven-story museum is wrapped by a thin 28-sided wall faced with one million sparkling tiles. Construction on a jagged, avant-garde addition, designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, began in 2003. When finished in fall 2006, the unique structure will double the size of the museum and give Denver its most distinctive building by a long shot.The museum's collection of Western and regional works is its cornerstone. Included are Frederic Remington's bronze The Cheyenne, Charles Russell's painting In the Enemy's Country, plus 19th-century photography, historical pieces, and works by Georgia O'Keeffe. In 2001, Dorothy and William Harmsen, longtime Colorado residents and founders of the Jolly Rancher Candy Company, donated their prestigious Western art collection to the museum. Assembled over 40 years, the collection immediately made the museum's inventory of Western art one of the most impressive in the nation.The American Indian collection is also excellent, consisting of more than 17,000 pieces from 150 tribes of North America, spanning nearly 2,000 years. The collection is growing through the acquisition of historic pieces as well as the commissioning of works by contemporary artists. Other collections include architecture and design; graphics; and Asian, African, Oceanic, modern and contemporary, pre-Columbian, and Spanish Colonial art.Overview tours are available Tuesday through Sunday at 1:30pm, plus 11am on Saturday; an in-depth tour of a different area of the museum is offered each Wednesday and Friday at noon and 1pm; and a variety of child-oriented and family programs are scheduled regularly. There is also a gift shop. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
Colorado State Capitol
Built to last 1,000 years, the capitol was constructed in 1886 of granite from a Colorado quarry. The dome, which rises 272 feet above the ground, was first sheathed in copper, then replaced with gold leaf after a public outcry: Copper was not a Colorado product.Murals depicting the history of water in the state adorn the walls of the first-floor rotunda, which offers a splendid view upward to the underside of the dome. The rotunda resembles the layout of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. South of the rotunda is the governor's office, paneled in walnut and lit by a massive chandelier.On the first floor, the west lobby hosts revolving temporary exhibits. To the right of the main lobby is the governor's reception room. The second floor has main entrances to the House, Senate, and old Supreme Court chambers. On the third floor are entrances to the public and visitor galleries for the House and Senate (open to the public during legislative session from January through early May).
Valli-Hi Motel
Valli-Hi Motel is conveniently located South of US-36 Highway at Pecos Street Exit visible from highway. Easy access to all highways and area attractions - Water World, Six Flags, Denver Civic Center, Denver Historical Museum and Zoo, Mile High Stadium, Pepsi Center, and Downtown ...
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